Letter to the Editor: Raynard Johnson for District 5, Board of Education

Dear Friends,
On April 19, 2013 I announced my candidacy for the Atlanta Board of Education, representing District 5. I have filed the declaration of intention to accept campaign contributions for the Atlanta School Board seat and I will submit the necessary forms to qualify to have my name placed on the ballot as the filing dates approach. I humbly ask for your support and your vote on Election Day, Tuesday November 5, 2013.

As a lifelong resident of SW Atlanta, I am a product of the Atlanta Public Schools system, which I hope to be able to represent as one of your board members.

From my early days at both Mary Agnes Jones and Beecher Hills Elementary Schools to my time at Southwest Atlanta High School, I have always had a special place in my heart for our public school system and the role that it plays in the lives of our young people.

Children are the greatest resource and hope of any community and we must provide the teachers, who are entrusted daily with their care, the tools they need to do their job. We can help our parents and educators build strong schools and strong communities.

We owe it to both children and teachers to make sure parents are held accountable, are engaged and that children, educators and parents know they are valued, appreciated and supported.

When I was going to school we had people inside schools and the community that cared about children. We have got to get back to that.
We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had a kind of private notion of children. Your child is yours and totally your responsibility. We haven't had a very collective notion of these are our children. 

We have to break through our kind of private idea that children belong to their families and recognize that children belong to whole communities. Once it's everyone's responsibility, and not just the households, then we can start making better investments in the community and schools. Strong schools... strong communities!

I am running for the Atlanta School Board because:

• I want APS to stand for the hope of students becoming lifelong learners equipped with the appropriate skills and competencies to be contributing members of society, instead of despair symbolized by the growing risk of 48% of our children not graduating in 4 years and the 5,000 students dropping out each year.
• I have a demonstrated and vested interest in the community and Atlanta Public Schools.
• I seek new policies - policies to close the education gaps that now exist between black and white, between boys and girls, between rich and poor, between young and old, in the City of Atlanta.
• I am committed to making sure that our school system is not only one that we esteem highly but one that we can be proud of and comfortable sending our children to each and every day.
• I am committed to working collaboratively with our school administrators and other board members in making the tough decisions necessary to stretch our education dollars, making certain that they are used wisely, effectively and equally throughout the district.

Fours years of formal academia at Boston College School of Management, majoring in Computer Science has enabled 30+ years in the IT software development profession, with the past 13 years as an IT Project Manager responsible for successfully managing software development projects up to $5 million dollars. I know how vital it is to exercise good judgment and fiscal responsibility on a daily basis. Likewise, it is important that the APS system be operated as efficiently as possible so that every student in every classroom at every school has the opportunities to learn in a safe environment of excellence.
Having served as a member of the Local School Council at Continental Colony Elementary School I have seen communities and schools work closer together bringing parents and community stakeholders into the decision-making process to improve academic achievement. Serving as a member of the Board of Directors for a non-profit, The Exception Campaign, Inc., I have seen how a financial safety-net for youth can help bridge financial gaps experienced during their college tenure.

Having served as a member of Atlanta Police Department, Zone 4 Citizen Advisory Board and Fulton county District Attorney's Office Citizens' Court Watcher, I have seen the affects of 75% of youth under 18 years old sentenced to adult prisons, having not completed 10th grade.
In the past 40 months, I have toured every school in APS District 5 and I have talked and listened to young people, educators, parents and community stakeholders in all walks of life.

After listening to youth, educators, parents and community stakeholders I pledge to focus on:

• Student achievement: Reducing dropout rate & increasing graduation rate.
• Equity of educational services and resources.
• Parental accountability and engagement.
• Supporting educators: Attract & retain quality teachers.
• School & student safety: Discipline policy reform.
• Cultivating a transparent & ethical organization.

As with all parents and community stakeholders, I am concerned about the future and what it holds for the youth of Atlanta. As an Atlanta school board member, you can be assured that I will continue be a voice for the community and our students, a supporter of our teachers and a strong ally for our parents!

My desire is simply to “pay it forward” by investing in the next generation of young people so that they may have the confidence of a bright future. I hope you will join me in that endeavor knowing that… TOGETHER, WE CAN AND WILL BUILD A BRIGHTER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN!

It is with these ideals that I begin this campaign, but I need your financial and in-kind contributions, as well as your prayers. 

You can support the campaign by donating at the level of your choosing through the ticket option on the following EventBright page.

http://raynardjohnsonforatlanta.eventbrite.com/

Or you can send a check or money order payable to:

Raynard Johnson for Atlanta
1878 S. Gordon St., SW
Atlanta, GA 30310

Contact info. Email: RaynardJohnsonForAtlanta@yahoo.com or via phone: 404-752-6758.

Your investment in this campaign will be most appreciated. Your support will be vital! Thank you.

Yours for APS,

Raynard
Strong schools... Strong communities!